A Second Chance
by Yandeim Nareim
Summary: After marrying Padmé, Anakin makes a difficult decision that he believes is the right thing. Many years later, he must turn back on his decision to save the galaxy and fulfill his role as the Chosen One. Canonical up to end of AotC, then AU
1. Prologue

_**A Second Chance**_

Description: After marrying Padmé, Anakin makes a difficult decision that he believes is the right thing. Many years later, he must turn back on his decision to save the galaxy and fulfill his role as the Chosen One. AU

_**Prologue**_

Anakin Skywalker sat in his bed, late at night. He had just been awoken by a disturbing dream about a man in dark black armor, and its mechanical breathing. He was sweating heavily and his breathing was hard and constricted. He ran his now gloved mechanical hand through his short hair. He and Padmé had been married for only a few weeks now. He looked next to him as she lay in bed, breathing in and out peacefully.

They had just recently moved back to Coruscant, where they bought a new apartment and leased it under fake names. They had spent another week in Naboo after their marriage, and then came back to Coruscant. Both being missing for too long at the beginning of the Clone Wars would seem too suspicious. Upon their return to Coruscant, Anakin visited the Jedi Temple's hospital wing, where he got a special glove fitted for his prosthetic hand so that he wouldn't have to look at the skeletal metal anymore. He laid back down and continued to look at his beautiful wife.

He knew that he was doing something that was forbidden by the Jedi. He was not allowed to love, or to marry. Despite what he had told Padmé on the ship on the way to Naboo, the Jedi were not encouraged to love. But he couldn't help his feelings for Padmé. She was so beautiful, and gentle, yet strong when she needed to be. She was caring, but she could lay her feelings aside when thrown into battle. She understood him, even when he didn't understand himself. She could calm him down when anyone else would only make him angrier. She was the perfect woman for him, and their time alone on Naboo made it harder to not love her.

He had always dreamt of being a Jedi. And when Qui-Gon Jinn came to Tatooine when Anakin was only nine years old, that dream seemed to be coming true. And that dream did come true. For years he fought alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi, his master. But when he looked at Padmé, he forgot about his dream. He forgot about being a Jedi and the only thing that mattered to him was her, and keeping her safe, and loving her. He knew now that he must make a decision. He had to choose where his priorities lay. Which was more important to him; being a Jedi, or being with Padmé? Well, he had already made his decision a few days earlier. He had married Padmé, officially choosing her over the Jedi.

When he first decided to marry her, he figured that it wouldn't stand in the way of him becoming a Jedi. They would just keep it a secret, and both could continue their lives as a Senator and a Jedi, and nobody would know. But these dreams of the man in black, a Sith, were starting to disturb him. He knew that many Jedi in the past had fallen to the Dark Side due to love. Love could form an attachment, which, when broken, could lead to revenge, and, therefore, the Dark Side. And he would never let himself become a Sith. So he must decide on either being a Jedi, or staying with Padmé. He didn't think about it long before he realized he didn't really even have a choice.

Even if he did choose to leave Padmé and continue with the Jedi, it really wouldn't make a difference. He would still not be able to control his emotions if he heard that Padmé was hurt or in danger. This means that it could still lead to the Dark Side. So he knew that his only choice was to stay with Padmé, and he would have to desert his dream as a Jedi. This wasn't such a bad thing, though. They wouldn't have to keep their marriage a secret, so he could be with Padmé whenever he wanted. And her being with a _former _Jedi wouldn't mar her image as a Senator. So he put his arm around his new wife, closed his eyes, and fell back to sleep within a few minutes.

----------------

The next day he got up very early, before Padmé woke up, and got out of bed very slowly and carefully so he wouldn't disturb her. He didn't want to tell her about what he planned to do, because he knew she wouldn't allow it. She wouldn't want him to give up his dream just because of her. But he had made his decision, and he was going to follow through with it.

He took a quick shower, dressed in his Jedi tunic and robes, and left the apartment without a sound. He got into their new speeder, and started toward the Jedi Temple. They weren't very far, so it only took a few minutes. He lowered the air speeder much closer to the ground, and found the nearest garage. There, he parked the speeder and got out, heading towards the Jedi Temple. As he walked toward it, he wondered how he was going to tell…well, whoever he told. He reasoned that his best bet would be Yoda. He was, after all, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, so if Anakin were to put himself into self-proclaimed exile, Yoda would be the one to tell.

So once Anakin entered the Jedi Temple, he began to seek out Yoda. He figured he would be either with younglings or in a Jedi Council session. But, to his surprise, Yoda turned out to be in one of the meditation rooms that Anakin went to in order to meditate and possibly sense Yoda's presence so that he could find him. Anakin walked in and sat down on one of the cushioned seats and faced Yoda, who opened his eyes.

"Master Yoda, I have an…important matter to discuss," Anakin said.

"Trouble, you are having…" Yoda replied, a knowing look in his eyes. It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, Master Yoda. I…I have not been completely obedient to the Jedi Code. I…" Anakin was becoming reluctant. But he had already made his decision, and he had to go through with it.

"Master Yoda, I have fallen in love with Senator Amidala. And…and we have gotten married…"

Anakin could not bear to look up at Yoda. He was afraid that he might be angry. But the voice that came was very soft and understanding.

"Suspicions of this, I had. What do you plan to do?" he asked.

"I…I do not plan to break up the marriage. I want to stay with Padmé. But I know that this can bring about emotions in me that I cannot feel. If someone were to hurt her, I would not be able to hold in my anger, or my need for revenge. So I plan…to put myself into exile. I do not want to risk turning to the Dark Side."

"Hmm…a wise decision, this is. But, The Chosen One, you may be. Ask you to reconsider, I must. Vitally important to the Jedi and the future of The Force, you may be."

"I…I don't think that I'm The Chosen One," Anakin said with a downcast look on his face. After he married Padmé, he realized that he couldn't be The Chosen One. He had broken one of the oldest rules of the Jedi Order.

"I have done things that no Jedi should…I gave into anger on Tatooine, murdered a tribe of Tusken Raiders. I let the emotions get the best of me against Count Dooku, and my anger and aggression led to my defeat. I have defied Obi-Wan many times in my training. And now…I've fallen in love and married Senator Amidala. The Chosen One wouldn't have defied the Order so many times…" Anakin explained his doubts. "And…I can't continue to risk my turning to the Dark Side. It would be better off for me to exile myself…"

There was a long period of silence that followed. Anakin still refused to look up at Yoda. He couldn't do it.

"Hmm…a mistake, this may be. But, allow you to make your own choices, I must."

Anakin finally forced himself to look into Yoda's eyes. He could see the understanding in them, but he also saw sadness in them. But again, Anakin reassured himself that he was making the right decision.

"Thank you, Master Yoda. And…I'm sorry," Anakin said. It seemed very dumb and emotionless when he said it, but he felt it had to be said. He was sorry for having to leave the Jedi Order.

"Your lightsaber, you must forfeit. The weapon of a Jedi, it is."

Anakin knew this was coming, but as he got it out, he didn't want to give it away. It was his powerful line of defense, something that could be very useful even in his further doings, Jedi or not. But he knew he had to. It was part of being in exile. He handed it to Yoda, who closed his eyes and bowed over it. Anakin got the feeling that Yoda felt that maybe Anakin wouldn't complete his self-exile, would change his decision before he handed over his lightsaber. But he didn't. Anakin was now officially in exile from the Jedi Order. He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find words to express his feelings, how sorry he was, but how he had to do this…for the safety of the Jedi Order. So he slowly got up, and left without another word.

A/N: Is anyone interested? Should I continue? Constructive criticism? Let me know, please.


	2. Chapter 1

_**A Second Chance**_

_**Chapter 1**_

After Anakin left the Jedi, he returned to the apartment on Coruscant. When he told Padmé about his decision, she refused at first, but he told her that he had already done it. And that he was okay with it, that he made it on his own and would rather be with her. She was still mad at first that Anakin would give up his dream for her without consulting her first, but she got over it before the day was over.

The next day they were lying in bed, talking about what they'd do now that they no longer had to keep their marriage a secret.

"Well, now we can move back to Naboo like you wanted. I don't have to stay here anymore, and we don't have to worry about coming here from Naboo all the time raising suspicion. We can sell our apartment here, and get one on Naboo. And, if you have to get here for a senate meeting, it's only a 4 hour hyperspace drive from Naboo to here, so we wouldn't have to worry about that," Anakin was saying.

"That's true. It would be wonderful to get a house on Naboo. It's so much quieter and prettier than Coruscant," Padmé agreed. "What about you? What are you going to do about a job?"

"Hmm, well, I could get a job as a mechanic…or a pilot. Either one would do. I would rather be a mechanic somewhere on Naboo, so I wouldn't have to be gone so much. But if I can't find a job as a mechanic anywhere, I could be a pilot. I've been told I'm good at it," Anakin said with a grin, failing miserably at his attempt at not being arrogant.

"That's good. So, we can use the credits we get for this apartment as a down payment on the house, and then we'll both have jobs, so we can pay for the monthly payments that way," Padmé said.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Anakin said, smiling. "Also, I was thinking of traveling to Dantooine sometime soon. I feel naked without my lightsaber, and I think that one could come in handy if we run into any trouble. Anyway, I hear that there are a lot of lightsaber crystal caves there."

"I have a senate meeting all day tomorrow to discuss the war. You can go then," Padmé said.

"I like that idea. I do want to go before we move to Naboo. Dantooine is a lot closer to Coruscant than it is to Naboo," Anakin replied.

"Well, now that that's all settled, I have to get to work preparing for the meeting tomorrow," Padmé said with a frown. She obviously didn't want to be working all day today if she was going to be at a meeting all day tomorrow.

"In that case, I'm going to go looking for some parts shops to get the rest of the things I need for my lightsaber," Anakin said, getting up and picking up his Jedi cloak… "Actually, I can shop for clothes, too. Continuing to wear these around could become quite deceiving," he added as an afterthought as he set the cloak back down on the bed.

"Have fun," Padmé said with a mischievous grin. Anakin hated shopping.

"Oh, yeah. So much fun," Anakin said sarcastically. "I'll see you tonight when I get back. Good luck on your work," he said, kissing her good bye and leaving the apartment.

* * *

Anakin flew slowly through the calmer level of air traffic, looking around and trying to find the right shops to look for the parts he needed for his lightsaber. He went over the list of parts he needed: a diatium power cell, some type of heavy metal (he would probably use lead) for the pommel cap, some type of flexible material that was also an insulator (he would probably use clay) for the inert power insulator, any type of focusing lens (which he would later modify and tinker with to make it similar to the Ossus dueling lenses), two types of magnetic metal (he would use cobalt and iron) for the magnetic stabilizers and emitter matrix, one type of nonmagnetic metal (he was thinking about using gold for looks) for the rest of the hilt, copper wire, and rubber to establish the grip on the bottom.

He figured he could just go to a scrap shop to get most of the metals, the rubber, the clay, and the wire, but he might have to go somewhere else for the gold. As for the diatium power cell and focusing lens, he would have to go to an upper-scale mechanics shop. Diatium power cells were not easy to find, so he would probably have to go to a few different shops to find that. But, since most of what he needed could be found at a scrap shop, he decided to go there first. So he continued driving until he saw a pretty nice looking scrap shop on his right. He pulled into its garage, parked, and exited his air speeder. He took the elevator up to the main shop, and stepped out.

The shop looked quite upscale for a scrap shop, and, luckily for him, he spotted many scraps of gold there. He quickly retrieved enough gold, for there were many people in the shop, so he was afraid that the gold, with its high demand and rarity, might be gone after he got everything else he needed. He then roamed the shop rather aimlessly, looking at the various metals they had. After a while, he decided he wanted to use the metallic alloy duralumin, instead of lead, for his pommel cap, which felt the perfect weight for it and was much more polished and would fit with the gold much better. As he continued to roam the shop, he fulfilled the rest of his needs with the materials he had originally planned to use, and then went up to the counter.

"8,000 credits, please," he said rather nonchalantly.

Anakin's jaw dropped and he nearly choked on his words.

"8,000?!," he asked, completely shocked. He knew that the gold would make the price a little bit more than originally planned, but not that much.

"Yes, 8,000. That duralumin alloy bit you have costs 1,500 alone," he helped explain.

Anakin cursed under his breath as he handed the cashier his credit chip. Serves him right for picking something he didn't know that much about. He figured that duralumin must be difficult to manufacture, because he had quite a small bit, yet it still cost that much. Anakin waited as the cashier deducted the necessary amount from his credit chip and then returned it to him.

"Thank you. Have a nice day," the cashier said as Anakin walked away in a worse temper than he had arrived in.

As Anakin climbed back into the air speeder, he decided to get the cheapest lens he could find in order to compensate for high price that he had to pay for the duralumin. So he fired up the speeder and left the garage, searching for any nice mechanics shops he could find. The first one he visited was useless, as it sold neither focusing lenses nor power cells. The second one seemed a little better. It sold various kinds of focusing lenses.

Anakin again set out to roam the shop, but this time he was not searching aimlessly. He roamed around looking for the cheapest decent focusing lens he could find. He finally found one that was quite cheap, but didn't look like it was about to fall apart. He then approached the counter and paid the one thousand credits for it and returned back to his air speeder again.

He continued to scower the city for a mechanics shop that sold diatium power cells. Finally, after three more shops, he found one. And it was a very nice one. It had top notch power cells that were in some of the nicest shape he had ever seen them in. So he picked one out and went to the counter, paying the five thousand credits for it, and then returning to the air speeder.

'I forgot how expensive all the parts for lightsabers were,' Anakin thought to himself as he now flew around, looking for a mall to find clothes in.

------------------

When Anakin got back home from getting all of his clothes, it was very late. Padmé was already in bed, asleep. Anakin was feeling quite tired himself. He went to his closet, and got out a small box, where he placed all of his lightsaber supplies, and then closed it and locked it before putting it on the top shelf in the closet. He then set his clothes on the couch; he had gotten a couple of pairs of pants and a bunch of shirts, but nothing too fancy; just some basic clothes to wear around.

He then took off his tunic and robes, and folded them up, stowing them on the same top shelf in his closet, along with his cloak. He felt a little empty not having them to wear, because he had become so used to it, but he knew he couldn't. He was an exile now, so he couldn't look like a Jedi. So, he closed the door to his closet and walked back to bed.

As he lay in bed, trying to go to sleep, he wondered about what kind of crystal he would get. For his other lightsaber, he had used crystals from Ilum, so he wondered if the crystal caves on Dantooine were any different. He figured that they couldn't be too different. He knew a lot of Jedi who had gotten their lightsaber crystals from Dantooine's crystal caves, and they didn't seem any different than most lightsabers. So, with that thought, he turned over and fell asleep.

-------------------

When he woke up the next morning, Padmé was getting ready to go to the senate meeting. She had already gotten dressed, and was now doing her hair. He got up and took a quick shower, then put on some of his new clothes, tan pants with the same color tunic, and a darker brown belt. The outfit reminded him of what he used to wear on Tatooine all the time, but these were much more comfortable. As he finished getting ready, Padmé was leaving.

"Good luck at your meeting today," Anakin said as he put on his boots.

"I'm going to need it. I'm pretty sure most people are going to be suggesting the most aggressive situation after what happened on Geonosis, and I'd rather keep the amount of battles as low as possible, capture their leaders, and dismount the separatists from the inside. That way, the war would end quickly, and there wouldn't have to be nearly as many deaths," Padmé explained.

"Well, I'm sure you can win them over. A lot of people look up to you. You're probably the most respected senator in the galaxy," Anakin said.

Padmé smiled as Anakin's remarks reminded her of Naboo, when they were talking about how the Nabooan people respected her and wanted to amend the constitution so that she could remain the queen for a longer period of time than was allowed. "That's not true. I'm just the same as any other senator," she said modestly.

"You just don't realize your own talent," Anakin said grinning.

"Are we still talking about politics?" Padmé asked, laughing.

"Of course we are? What were you thinking?" Anakin asked with a mock confused look on his face.

"Oh, nothing," Padmé replied, still laughing. "Well, I have to go. Good luck with finding the crystals you want," she said as she kissed him and left.

Anakin sighed as she left, and put his last boot on, and then stood. He figured he had nothing else to do, so he might as well leave to get the crystals now. So he left the apartment, and walked to the nearest spaceport, and got on the first transport to Dantooine. And as the ship lifted off and left the spaceport, he leaned back, relaxed, and began to drift back into sleep.


	3. Chapter 2

_**A Second Chance**_

_**Chapter 2**_

Anakin was jerked awake as the ship landed. He rubbed his eyes groggily as he sat up. He slowly stood, yawning and stretching as he did so. When he had finally woken himself up completely, he walked off the ship and looked around. He was in a fairly small and open spaceport. He could see through the large windows the plains and prairies and endless grass. Just at the horizon, he could see mountains, shrouded in hazy fog.

'I have to go all the way over there,' he thought, staring at the mountains. It was a long way away, but if he was going to get into some of the crystal caves, they were all under or around mountains, so it was the only way he could get to them.

He let out a long sigh as he left the spaceport and headed that way. It would be a long and boring journey there, no one with him to talk to and nothing with him to entertain him. He simply stuck his hands in his pockets and walked, thinking about how long it might take him to get to the mountains. As he thought about it, he thought about the crystal caves and the crystals within. As he thought about them, he discovered that there were a few obstacles he would have to overcome.

The first one was the fact that he didn't bring anything that he could use to break off the pieces of crystals that he would take back with him to put in his lightsaber. When he went to get his first lightsaber, he had gone with Obi-Wan, who had cut them off with his own lightsaber. And since lightsabers could cut through almost any material in the world, he had no bearing on just how durable the crystals were. After a while of thinking, he came to the conclusion that he could probably just use the Force to break off the pieces that he needed.

The second obstacle was the one that everyone getting the crystals for a lightsaber faced. The crystals didn't automatically power the lightsaber. To actually power the lightsaber, the crystals had to be imbued with Force Power, which involved many days of meditating over them. This could take quite a while, though once Anakin returned to Coruscant, the remaining days before they travelled to Naboo were quite free. So once he thought about it, it really wasn't that much of a problem. He could even start on the transport back.

And the next thing he thought of wasn't exactly an obstacle, but something that just came to his mind. He had always taken the color of his lightsaber for granted. He hadn't ever given it much thought, and just used blue because that's what his master had and because blue was the traditional color for more aggressive lightsaber duelists. But now, he had no ties to the Jedi Order or their traditions, and no longer had a master. Now, it was his own choice as to what color he wanted, and he never had really thought about it before. After a while, he decided he would choose the color once he got to the cave and saw all the different options he had to choose from.

As he thought about all these things, he had gotten quite a long way, and was pulled out of his reverie when he finally saw a cave in the distance. He smiled, finally getting there, and took off at a run. He reached the cave in a few minutes, and stopped in front of it. He could see a faint light from deep within it, and he suddenly remembered that not all crystal caves were safe. He was now faced with the daunting task of going into the dark cave without anything to defend himself with.

He took a deep breath, let it out, and stepped into the cave. He let his senses attune themselves strongly with the Force, since it was his only chance at avoiding something that, for now, he didn't know the identity of. He stepped at a normal pace, walking deeper and deeper into the cave, making sure he kept his eyes and ears open, just in case. The cave slowly got brighter and brighter, telling him that he was getting closer and closer to the crystals.

Then, he felt it. A slight disturbance in the Force, and he turned on his heel quickly, throwing out his right arm and, with it, a strong Force Push. The bat-like creature was sent hurtling at the cave, wall, which he slammed into and, with a cry, fell to the ground unconscious. Unfortunately, the creature was not alone. The now semi-bright light from the nearby crystals showed that there were four or five more creatures around Anakin, all wolf-like, baring their teeth and growling ominously.

For these creatures, Anakin decided to take a different approach. He looked at the two creatures closest to each other, and reached out deeply into the Force, immersing himself in it, and aiming it at the creature's mind, telling it to attack the other creatures in the cave. And suddenly, the two leapt in Anakin's direction. He cursed under his breath as he ducked quickly and the creatures soared over him. As he stood back up and spun, he got ready to send another Force Push, but then noticed that his mind trick had worked. The creatures had jumped over him and attacked the others.

Anakin watched, still making sure to be ready in case they broke free of the mind trick, as the five creatures attacked each other and fought. Finally, after a few minutes, only one was left. Anakin dealt with it quickly as he used the Force to break off a stalactite from the ceiling, and grabbed it, waiting for the creature to attack. It finally did, breaking into a run and leaping at Anakin. Anakin ducked and stabbed the stalactite piece into the creature's stomach, and it howled and fell, dead.

Anakin stepped over one of the dead creatures as he continued deeper into the cave, following the light from the crystals. Finally, he turned a corner and was almost blinded by the brightness of the light he saw. There were crystals everywhere, glowing brightly, and the light was bouncing off of small puddles on the cave floor. After a minute or two, Anakin's eyes finally adjusted to the light, and he blinked a few times and could finally walk towards the crystals without having to squint his eyes.

There were tons of different colors of the crystals. There were blue crystals, red crystals, orange crystals, purple crystals, yellow crystals, green crystals, and he even saw some white crystals. He continued to walk around the cave, noticing rarer crystals than he had originally seen. He saw Pontite crystals, Hurrikaine crystals, Lorrdian gemstones, and he even noticed a Sapith crystal and a Solari crystal.

He thought about which crystals he wanted to use. He had heard Mace Windu talk about Hurrikaine crystals before, which were powerful crystals that he used in his lightsaber that increased the attack power of the blade. The ones in his blade were violet, but these were a deep blue color. He also had heard some Jedi Consulars talk about Lorrdian gemstones, equally powerful crystals which enhanced the defensive properties of the blade. And he had read about Sapith crystals in the Archives. They were some of the most powerful lightsaber crystals, and could only be used by a Jedi who was pure of heart. This particular Solari crystal was a purplish-blue color. Anakin wanted to use it very badly, but knew he most likely wouldn't be able to, because of his defection.

But he couldn't resist the urge. He picked it up and pocketed it, just in case he ever returned to the Jedi. He also used the Force broke off a small piece of the Hurrikaine crystals, and a piece of the largest Lorrdian gemstone, and finally a small piece of a navy blue color crystal, deciding that he liked the darker blue lightsabers, similar to his ex-Master's blade. He pocketed the three crystals along with the Solari crystal, and headed back towards the exit of the cave.

He passed the dead creatures again on his way out, stepping over them and glad to find that if any of them had actually just been unconscious, they hadn't woken back up yet. He didn't run into any trouble on the way out, and soon was walking back out of the cave into the dim light of twilight. He had apparently been in the cave a lot longer than he had thought, for the sun was just barely visible over the horizon. And this annoyed him when he reminded himself of how long of a journey it was back to the spaceport. With an elongated sigh, he started towards the spaceport, wondering how late it would be when he returned to Coruscant, and wondering if Padmé would still be awake.

It was about twenty minutes or so before he reached the spaceport, and the last of the sun was now completely below the horizon and the twilight rays were all that were left. Anakin had arrived just in time to catch a transport back to Coruscant. As they took off, he found a bathroom, entered it and locked it, and then pulled out the four crystals and sat down. He centered them in between his hands, and fell deeply into the Force, meditating over the crystals and imbuing them with the Force.


	4. Chapter 3

_**A Second Chance**_

_**Chapter 3**_

He could hear activity outside the bathroom, idle chattering and movement. But he couldn't understand any of it. It was as if coming from a distance. He was too focused within the Force, letting it flow within his veins freely, centering it on the crystals. He thought he might have heard banging on the door, but he wasn't conscious enough to be sure, and just ignored it instead.

Then, after what seemed like only a few minutes, he felt a jerk, and he was brought out of his meditation and the crystals fell into his lap. He gathered them back into his pocket, and left the bathroom. He received a few strange looks from people who had noticed he had been in there the entire ship ride, but he didn't care. He just fell in line with the rest of the people getting off of the transport.

As he stepped off the ship and into the spaceport, he could see through the windows that it was already dark. He had expected this. It was probably very late. But he figured at least he was done with what he had to do. The rest of the time on Coruscant before they left and returned to Naboo, he could spend meditating over the crystals and building his lightsaber. It would take quite a few weeks to do. He might not even finish before they moved.

As he thought about that, he actually realized they hadn't decided on when they would move to Naboo. He figured once they put the apartment back up for sell, they would just leave once it was bought and they could get everything packed. Obviously, they would have to make a trip to Naboo and look for a house on sale.

He figured that it would be nice to get somewhere in the lake country, possibly the Varykino, the same house as they had stayed in a few weeks previously, when he was protecting her on Naboo. As he thought about those times, it seemed much longer ago than just a few weeks. It was hard to see anything that happened before Geonosis as being as recent as it actually was.

He tried to forget about the battle as he continued to think about possibly living in the Varykino Retreat. One of the best parts about living there was that they wouldn't have to pay anything, since it was owned by Padmé's family. He decided he would propose the idea to Padmé when he got home, or the next day if she was asleep already. He continued to think about it as he exited the spaceport and started his walk back home.

* * *

When he got back home, as he had feared, Padmé had already gone to sleep. He sighed, and took the lightsaber crystals out of his pocket and put them in the box along with the rest of his lightsaber parts. He then took off his boots, socks, and shirt, and slid into bed as carefully as possible so that he wouldn't wake her up. Unfortunately, he failed and she stirred a little and turned to face him.

"Oh, you're home. I was worried," she said very groggily, with her eyes barely open.

"It's okay, I'm alright. I'm sorry I woke you," he whispered quietly, brushing some hair out of her face and kissing her.

She breathed out and smiled, rolling back over and seemingly falling back to sleep. Anakin rubbed her back for a while before finally wrapping his arm around her stomach and closing his eyes, slowly drifting to sleep.

* * *

Anakin woke up the next morning and saw that Padmé was no longer in bed. He heard the shower running, so he assumed that's where she was. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, stretching his legs out. He stood up slowing and ran his gloved mechanical hand through his hair. He was starting to get used to the mechanical hand, though it still felt weird sometimes.

He heard the shower turn off, and decided it was his turn. He slipped off the glove, and tossed it on the bed, walking into the refresher. Padmé was wrapping a towel around herself as he walked in. He smiled and she kissed him on the cheek as she went to the mirror and began doing her hair. He slipped off his pants and got into the shower, turning the water on and letting it run over his body. It was quite relaxing after so much travel the day before.

"I've been thinking about where we should live on Naboo," Anakin said over the water, which was rather quiet.

"Hmm, where were you thinking?" Padmé asked inquisitively, running her fingers through her hair before picking up a pin.

"Well, I was thinking we could live in the Varykino Retreat again, if you wanted to. It was very peaceful and a beautiful area, plus we wouldn't have to pay for it since your family already owns it," he explained.

"We'd have to ask my parents. They visit there a lot. But if it's alright with them, I would love to live there," she said happily.

Anakin smiled at the thought that she liked the idea as well. So as long as her parents approved, which he was sure they would since they let them live there earlier and loved seeing Padmé happy as much as he did, then they would live out the rest of their lives in the beautiful Varykino Retreat.

It would be a great place to raise a child or two…it was really the first time Anakin had ever thought about having children, but he liked the idea of being a father. It would be strange though...he didn't have an example to follow. He had always looked at Obi-Wan as a father, it was the closest thing he had to one. But Obi-Wan wasn't a real father. He couldn't give advice on how to raise a baby, or when to let children do certain things and not other things. Obi-Wan's venture into parenthood started when he practically adopted Anakin at nine years old, but not before. He had no advice for anything before that.

It hurt Anakin to think about Obi-Wan, of his mentor and father-figure. Even if Anakin did become a father and wanted to look to Obi-Wan for advice, he couldn't. Obi-Wan would try to persuade him to rejoin the Jedi, and it would be difficult for Anakin to refuse someone who he had been so close to.

But Padmé's father could help him. He was a father, obviously, and in Anakin's opinion, a great one for how Padmé turned out. So Anakin smiled, now knowing that if he ever did become a father, he had someone to look to for advice and for an example on how to father his children.

He turned off the shower, and stepped out, quickly drying himself and getting dressed. He finished getting dressed at the same time as Padmé did, and then he followed her to the living room and sat down on the couch and turned on the HoloNet as Padmé went into the adjoining kitchen and started making breakfast. Anakin wasn't really paying much attention to the news that he had turned on, but he noticed that they were saying something about the Clone Wars. He just continued to ignore it and turned on the couch to look into the kitchen at Padmé.

"So, do you have to do any work today?" Anakin asked.

"No, there's no senate meeting today or any news of one, so I don't have anything to work on," Padmé replied with a smile.

"Finally!" Anakin let out with an exasperated sigh. "It's about time we finally get a whole day alone together," he said happily, finally being able to get the full benefit of not being a Jedi anymore.

Padmé just laughed as she continued making breakfast, and Anakin turned his attention back to the HoloNet. They were talking about an invasion of Kashyyyk, and how the Confederates were gaining power much quicker than expected. Anakin had a hard time hearing these things, knowing he could be out there, fighting alongside the rest of the Jedi. But he had made a choice, and he was going to stick to it.

Anakin turned as Padmé sat next to him with two plates, handing one of them to him and turning to face the HoloNet. He thanked her and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled appreciatively and started eating, Anakin following suit. The breakfast tasted amazing. He remembered Padmé saying that her mother and sister taught her how to cook. They must have been very good at it as well.

"So, now that we finally have a full day to ourselves, what do you want to do?" Anakin asked.

"Hmm…well, we don't really have to do anything. I'd be happy to just stay here with you," she said, gazing into his warm blue eyes.

"That sounds fine to me," he said smiling.

He stared back into her beautiful brown eyes, and felt like she could see inside to her soul. She was perfect, and he was lucky to be with her, and happy with his decision. A few times, when he heard something about the war on the news or used the Force for anything, he started to regret his decision. But every time he looked at Padmé, looked into her eyes, he knew he had made the right decision. She was beautiful, kind, smart, and she loved him just as much as he loved her.

Once they finished eating, they turned the HoloNet to a more interesting channel, getting tired of hearing the news. They turned it on some show that seemed to parody the life of a smuggler. He slid his arm around her shoulder, but she turned, letting her legs hang off the side of the couch and laid her head in his lap. He absent-mindedly started playing with her hair with his free hand.

"So, do you want to go ahead and put the apartment up for sell sometime today? Personally, I feel that the sooner we get to Naboo, the better. I've gotten a little tired of Coruscant's scenery…or lack thereof," Anakin said.

"I agree. Hopefully, the apartment will sell pretty quickly. I don't want to have to stay here any longer either. It's so loud and lights are on all the time on the entire planet. It gets difficult to sleep. I can't wait to get back to Naboo, where it's peaceful. I love my home planet," Padmé said, thinking about their time on Naboo during her protection more so than the actual planet.

"It's definitely a lot better than my home planet," Anakin said with a grin.

"Well, let's go ahead and do it now. Like you said, the sooner, the better," Padmé said and got up.

Anakin sighed, standing up as well. He didn't literally mean as soon as possible. He was thinking later that day, but Padmé was probably right. They might as well go ahead and get it out of the way so they didn't have to keep thinking about it the whole day.

A/N: I know it's not a very good or long chapter, but I had a lot of trouble writing it and trying to come up with a good way to keep it going and then end it. I hope you enjoyed it.


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